Gymnotus carapo septentrionalis New Subspecies

Figure 3 G, Tables 3 and 4

Holotype: UF 80734, 220 mm, Venezuela, Apure, Río Apure, E. dike in UNELLEZ module (09°55’7.26”N, 068°17’56.82”W).

Paratypes: UF 80734 (46), 165–262 mm, Venezuela, Apure, Río Apure, E. dike in UNELLEZ module (09°55’7.26”N, 068°17’56.82”W).

Non-Types: NRM 27717 (1), 235 mm, Colombia, Meta, Río Meta, Río Ocoa, Laguna Santa Clara, ca. 5 km S Villavicencio (04°09’N, 073°39’W) . UF 26178 (39), 134–239 mm, Colombia, Meta, Río Guatiquia-Meta, Caños Negros, ca. 9 km Villavicencio on road to Puerto Porfia (04°09’N, 073°39’W) . UF 33245 (1), 200 mm, Colombia, Meta, Río Meta, Río Guamal, 7 km E. Río Guayuriba, just N. Guamal (03°52’N, 073°45’W) . UF 35402 (3), 148– 178 mm, Venezuela, Guarico, Río Apure, ca. 50 km N San Fernando de Apure (07°54’N, 067°28’W) . UF 37030 (20), 101–176 mm, Venezuela, Apure, Río Apure, Río Guaritico, Hato El Frío (09°03’N, 068°20’W) . UF 77334 (1), 173 mm, Venezuela Apure, Río Apure, Cano Caicara, ca. 30 km SW La Ye (07°40’N, 072°22’W) . UF 78069 (3), 151–190 mm, Venezuela, Apure, Río Apure, 2. 3 km N San Fernando de Apure (07°54’N, 067°28’W) . UMMZ 169080 (5), 46–71 mm, Trinidad & Tobago, Mayaro, Gunupia, Mt. Plaisance Village (10°16’N, 061°00’W) .

Description: Specimens of G. carapo from the Río Orinoco Basin in the northern Neotropics overlap substantially in morphometric and meristic PC-space with specimens from other localities (Figures 4, 5, and 12). Gymnotus carapo septentrionalis is characterized by the following combination of statistically significant (p <0.01) traits when compared to the rest of the species as a whole (see Principal Components Analyses and t-tests): narrow mouth (MW 32.9%–38.7% HL, mean 35.5% vs. 32.2%–49.0%, mean 40.9% in all other subspecies), long interorbital distance (IO 35.1%–42.5% HL, mean 39.2% vs. 31.9%–44.8%, mean 37.1% in all other subspecies), deep body (BD 81.5%–96.2% HL, mean 90.1% vs. 42.7%–106.6%, mean 83.8% in all other subspecies), deep head (HD 58.0%–67.2% HL, mean 62.2% vs. 44.0%–72.4%, mean 57.9% in all other subspecies) and more pectoral-fin rays (P1R 16–17, mode 16 vs 13–17, mode 16 in all other subspecies).

Distribution: Known from the Orinoco basin of Colombia and Venezuela, and the island of Trinidad (Figure 2 B).

Etymology: Subspecific epithet derived from the Latin word “ septentrionalis ”, meaning “of the North”.